Tuesday, June 22, 2010

CNN Expands Blog Network with Launch of Eatocracy

CNN.com today announced the launch of Eatocracy, a blog created to feed the minds, hearts and stomachs of food fanatics across the world. Covering the pulse of food news – from its culture and trends to the politics and economics of eating, www.CNN.com/Eatocracy is a destination for passionate dialogue and debate about food.

“Very few topics are as cultural, political, entertaining, scientific and global as food,” said Meredith Artley, managing editor of CNN.com. “CNN and its users now have a gathering place for all of these conversations and more. Eatocracy is the bright red cherry on top of our beat-focused portfolio.”

Edited by Kat Kinsman, previously senior editor at AOL Food and Slashfood, Eatocracy will uniquely leverage CNN’s global newsgathering resources for the latest in food news, as well as foster an environment for CNN.com users and the iReport community to engage in the conversation. Under the leadership of CNN.com features editor Cybil Wallace, CNN.com’s Eatocracy is powered by Kinsman and the blog’s associate editor Sarah LeTrent, as well as CNN producers and correspondents, guest bloggers and iReporters.

“Through a combination of active engagement with CNN.com users, our editors' expertise and connections to the farmers, chefs and major players in the food world, and original lick-the-screen photography, we'll create a real-time portrait of how the world eats,” said Kat Kinsman, editor of Eatocracy. “We want to create an Eatocracy, where everyone has a place at the table.”

With innovative daily, weekly and ongoing features incorporating user-generated content and social media activity, Eatocracy focuses on bringing all of the best food stories to users on a topic to which everyone can relate. Some of the features include:

Daily“Box Lunch,” bite-sized blurbs of the top stories during the lunch hour“5@5,” 5 favorite culinary items from the blog’s editors, writers and special guests, published at 5pm ET each day“Lunch Out Loud,” iReport users share what they had for lunch“Lick the Screen,” original photo galleries of ingredients, food and meals

Weekly“Tuesday Night Cook-Along,” the editors share a simple recipe and cook it alongside CNN.com users“Path to the Plate,” a column tracking the path – from growth to consumption - of the food that people eat“Mom Was Wrong,” debunking kitchen myths with the help of a food scientist

Ongoing“Eat Like a Local,” highlighting the local dishes, products and institutions that define local cuisine by drawing on regional food bloggers’ expertise“Heirloom Eats,” database of hand-written recipes, submitted by users, to honor the culinary heritage handed down through the generations“Master the Classics,” tips and tricks to perfect some of the classic recipes“Stone Soup,” an under-funded writer’s guide to eating on the cheap“Eatcyclopedia,” a reference guide for more than 500 different culinary terms

Twitter users also can keep up with the blog’s latest postings by following @eatocracy.

CNN.com is the No. 1 destination for online and wireless news according to Nielsen, garnering the greatest audience in online video, total minutes and page views and the most mobile usage among current events and global news sites. Launched in 1995, CNN.com draws from the resources of CNN Worldwide and its many partners to provide consumers with the most enriching, immediate interaction with news anywhere, seamlessly combining articles, videos, images, interactive features and user-generated content. CNN.com’s news video offering – both live and on-demand – is unparalleled on the Web. CNN.com’s recent awards include a Peabody Award, two EPpy awards, four CableFAX Best of the Web awards, a National Headliner award, and the 2009 Edward R. Murrow award for best website.